May 23, 2006

For most travellers visiting Machu Picchu from Cuzco, the starting point of the train ride is Ollantaytambo.
It would be a pity though to miss out on the Inca ruins in Ollantaytambo itself, which are also very impressive.

June 20, 2005

A truly fascinating way to discover this part of Peru: the Inca Express from Cuzco to Puno (Titicaca lake).
The historic train in itself is an attraction and you pass through very diverse landscapes.
A golden photo opportunity!

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May 14, 2005

March 6, 2005

The Convento de Santa Catalina is one of the major attractions of Arequipa.
The compound is huge - covering some 20,000 square metres. Built in the 16th century, it was almost a city within the city.
Contact between the 450 nuns living here and the outside world was fairly limited until 1970 when the convent was opened to the public.
The buildings are made of “sillar”, a volcanic material that is readily available near Arequipa and is easy to work with.
This may partly explain the elaborate design of the facades.
There are several distinct styles, including Spanish, Andalusian and indigenous elements.
Walking down the Calle Cordoba, it is easy to believe that this is somewhere in Andalusia…
I especially liked the strong colours used - many buildings are painted in red or blue and there are green plants everywhere…

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February 23, 2005

Pisac is about 30 km from Cusco. The place is well-known for two attractions: the colonial village with its market and the Inca fortress overlooking it.
The setting of Inca Pisac is truly spectacular with fantastic views of the Urubamba valley. The site is smaller than much more famous Machu Picchu, but very well preserved and much less touristy.
Like in Machu Picchu, there is a ceremonial centre with a sacred stone (Intihuatana) used for tying the sun to the Earth.

December 17, 2004

The Colca Canyon near Arequipa is officially the second deepest canyon in the world.
BTW: the deepest canyon is not, I repeat: not the Grand Canyon.
It’s Cotahuasi canyon, only a few kilometres from the Colca canyon!

December 5, 2004

There are many theories regarding the purpose of these lines. Were they built for the gods to see? Or for shamans who “flew” over them in drug induced dreams?
Or did their creators already have means to actually leave the ground, such as balloons?
In any case, from the ground there hardly is anything to see: the area is mostly flat and the figures are of a size that makes it impossible to see them whole from this perspective.
From an airplane, however, they are clearly distinguishable. There are a monkey, a spider, a colibri, even a human figure (often called the “astronaut”).

Of course, over time, erosion must have taken a toll on the lines which are believed to be more than 2000 years old.

By the way, while the lines at Nazca are the most famous ones, there are others in South America, such as the Atacama Giant in Chile, which can be clearly seen from the ground.

According to a CNN report, many new, even bigger and older geoglyphs have been found near Paracas - actually quite close to the Nazca lines.

December 4, 2004

One of the “must sees” on Lago Titicaca are the artificial “islands of the Uros”, made of marsh reeds (totora).
The tradition of constructing such islands dates back to times well before the Inca empire.
The original inhabitants were believed to have black blood and other magical qualities.
When they started to mix with the neighbouring Aymara tribes, however, they were no longer regarded with awe.
Today, the inhabitants of the floating islands no longer are Uros but people from other Indian cultures who speak Aymara or Quechua.
The totora reeds are also used to produce boats such as the one sown on this picture.
The famous Norwegian adventurer/anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl asked Uros from Lago Titicaca to help him with the construction of his reed boat Ra II with which he eventually crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Although many boats are obviously mainly constructed for the entertainment of the tourist crowds, you can still see many families use them as the traditional means of transport.

November 23, 2004

Just outside Cuzco, the huge granite fortress built by the Incas is a truly magical place.
It is said that Cuzco and surroundings were designed in the shape of a Puma with the fortress of Saqsayhuamán (or “Saqsaywaman”) as the Pumas teeth.
The individual stones are already huge, but the scale of the whole site is absolutely breathtaking.

All photos on Travelphoto NET: Copyright Laurenz Bobke.
Copyright for the photos on the Outstanding Travel Photos blog: the individual photographer Republication only with my written permission, and only with proper credit (including a link back to this site if shown on the web).